Private Cruise Shore Excursions
For guests calling at Istanbul, Kusadasi or Canakkale — a licensed local guide who meets you at the pier and shapes the day around your ship, so your hours ashore are spent seeing the very best of Turkey.
The Difference of a Private Guide
Kusadasi for the marble of Ephesus, Istanbul for its domes and its local culture — wherever your ship brings you ashore in Turkey, the finest days are the ones shaped around you alone.
From the moment you step ashore, a licensed local guide is yours alone, and the hours are yours to spend as you like. Your day is drawn from the private tours we run every week: the great monuments of the Old City, a crossing between two continents, a food walk through the flavours of Istanbul, or the marble streets of Ephesus and the quiet of the House of the Virgin Mary. Whichever your port, the day is arranged around your ship — generous, unhurried, and yours to shape — and we have you back at the pier in good time, always.
Where You Call
Wherever your itinerary brings you ashore in Turkey, we design a private day around your ship’s hours.
Galataport, in the heart of the city
One of the world’s great cities, and your ship berths right at its centre. In a single day ashore we can show you old Constantinople — Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace — cross the Bosphorus between two continents, or follow the flavours of the city on a private food walk.
The gateway to Ephesus
A short private drive inland brings you to Ephesus, its marble streets, the Library of Celsus and the great theatre among the finest remains of the ancient world. Your entrance is arranged in advance and a licensed local guide brings the ruins to life.
Gallipoli & ancient Troy
From the Dardanelles we reach the moving memorials of the Gallipoli peninsula and the legendary city of Troy on the Aegean shore. A private car and a guide who knows the ground make a considered, unhurried day of it.
A Day in Istanbul
Galataport sits in the very heart of Istanbul, so there is no long transfer between you and the sights — more of your hours ashore are spent seeing the city, not lost on the road. From old Constantinople to a crossing between two continents, your day is shaped entirely around what you most wish to see.
Effortless From the First Message
Send your ship, your port and your date. We reply with a tailored plan and one clear quote, with no hidden costs.
A private itinerary shaped around your all-aboard time, your pace and the things you most wish to see — refined until it is exactly right.
Your guide meets you at the pier. You simply enjoy the day, while we keep a careful eye on the clock.
Before & After Your Cruise
Istanbul deserves more than a few hours between all-aboard times. Arrive a day or two before you sail, or stay on after you disembark, and let us look after every detail on the ground — from the airport to the pier and back again.
Fly in early and ease into your voyage. We meet you at the airport, settle you into a hand-picked hotel, and shape your days with private touring — then deliver you to your ship at Galataport, unhurried and in good time to board.
Step off the ship and keep exploring. We meet you at the pier, take care of your luggage, and carry the journey on — more of Istanbul, or onward into wider Turkey — before a private transfer to the airport for your flight home.
Every service below is private and fully customisable, arranged around your cruise schedule.
Why Go Independently
We note your all-aboard time, watch the traffic, and keep a generous buffer so you are back at the pier in good time.
Your guide greets you the moment you step ashore — no meeting points to find, no waiting for a group to gather.
A licensed local guide, a private vehicle, and a day shaped entirely around you.
As a licensed agency we buy your museum tickets before you dock, so there is no ticket office to find. The security check at each monument applies to everyone.
In Istanbul we travel as the city does, by its ferries and trams; for the drive to Ephesus or Gallipoli — and whenever you would prefer — a private car is arranged.
One clear quote agreed before you sail, with no hidden costs and no shopping stops written into the day.
Guests We Welcome
We regularly welcome guests sailing with the world’s premium and luxury lines, arranging their private day ashore directly and independently of the ship’s own programme.
Cruise line names are shown to indicate the ships whose guests we welcome. We are an independent, licensed Turkish travel agency and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any cruise line.
What's Included
Meals and drinks are left to your own choice as the day unfolds. Spanish-speaking guides are available on request, in limited slots and subject to availability.
Good to Know
Arranging a port day for a client rather than for yourself? We handle cruise shore programmes at Galataport, Kusadasi and Canakkale for travel advisors on net rates — see our travel advisor page.
A day in port is fleeting. In the right hands, it becomes the finest chapter of the whole voyage.
Begin the Journey
Send us your ship, your port and your date, and we will design a private day ashore — timed around your sailing, and entirely around you.